I wonder why sweet potatoes are on there, but not regular potatoes?

If you think about it, it's not surprising that mushrooms and asparagus are on there. Mushrooms are so delicate that they would absorb any chemical sprayed on them and I doubt they have many pest problems. And asparagus is a pretty hardy perennial. If it can grow wild with no problem, it doesn't surprise me that it has few natural pests.

Cabbage surprises me, though. Is that just because they take off all the outer leaves when they harvest? Or is it really a low-spray crop?

Actually, I do the opposite.

I think it is more important to pay the extra $$ for organic on the foods that typically have the MOST pesticides (such as apples, strawberries, celery, peaches, carrots, white potatoes, spinach and lettuce).

I feel safer with regular produce when it has a lower pesticide content.

@nbmom

"To make smart, budget-friendly decisions, we like to know which types of conventional produce have the least amounts of pesticides and chemicals. These are the ones we buy."

LOL! I just realized I read your post wrong, I totally agree with you! :)

Bugs are better! Staying away and not supporting produce with pesticides is what we should be doing not thinking its ok with all these list of low pesticide choices that are being published by so called environmental groups/
What about the run off into the water supply, the air, the farm workers and the people that live near these sprayed areas. To cavalierly dismiss the real and potential hazards of pesticides exposures using incomplete information does not bode well for either public or occupational health.

I shutter every time I see this list printed over the internet.

Just wanted to thank @b77 for raising this very important point!
"Staying away and not supporting produce with pesticides is what we should be doing not thinking its ok with all these list of low pesticide choices that are being published by so called environmental groups/ What about the run off into the water supply, the air, the farm workers and the people that live near these sprayed areas. To cavalierly dismiss the real and potential hazards of pesticides exposures using incomplete information does not bode well for either public or occupational health."

@b77

why do you "shutter" (shudder?) every time that you see this list? This list brings awareness regarding pesticide consumption, supports low-spray or no-spray crops, and encourages people do avoid high-spray crops.

If people follow this list, buy more low-spray/no-spray crops, all of your demands are furthered (i.e. less/no run-off into water, air, farm-workers..etc.).

By your logic, we should either eat only organic/no-spray, or just give up? I think this is a step in the right direction.

Agree with aschy--if more and more people take a step towards eating organic versions of high-pesticide produce, you reduce all of that runoff. It's not perfect, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and the way we eat won't either.

Also, as more and more people make the switch, don't you think growers will be forced, by the powers of consumer demand and falling profits, to re-examine how they grow their crops?

I wish I could eat entirely organic, but the options available to me are sometimes just too expensive. I'm glad to see that mushrooms are on this list -- I always look longingly at them when I pass them in the farmer's market, but they are $20 a pound, vs. $6 a pound at my local asian produce stand. I'm sorry, but when I need a pound of shiitakes, I can't shell out a whole $20; it's just insane.

@aschy: I agree with your point, but I'm curious, do you know that the produce on this list is low in pesticide because they're "low-spray/no-spray crops," or because they don't absorb much of the pesticides (due to protective outer layers, etc)? I assumed it was the latter, but you make it sound like they are grown more responsibly. Thanks.

Fooducate just posted the same thing yesterday, but with a handy cut-out list you can carry with you for easy reference (for those of us with bad memories).

@shaunaleee,

I think it is a combination of both of the factors you mentioned. Asparagus, cabbage, mushrooms..etc. would not fall under the protective-layer category. As vintagejenta mentioned in the first reply, it's probably a combination of hearty plants and harvesting techniques.

However, if you look at the website from which this was reposted, it appears that they are testing the whole fruit/vegetable, not just the edible components. Thus, I would say it is about the actual amount of pesticides used.

They do test just the edible parts of any given fruit/produce (I follow EWG on facebook and someone just asked about that). I also found it interesting that they do the tests after a good washing. So basically washing the food doesn't really matter (in terms of pesticide use).

I wouldn't use this list at all to determine if something is responsibly grown, though. There are plenty of organic pesticides...and lots of organic still comes from mega-farms. Better, absolutely - but I'll stick with the local organically grown stuff even if it's not certified.

I figured mushrooms are low pesticide because unlike other produce, no need to spray with fungicides. Also, my local store sells organic mushrooms so cheaply they don't even bother with non-organic versions. That says to me that the difference between organic and non-organic mushrooms is very small.

Its unrealistic to hope for an organic only world. With a world population of 6.5 billion people a pesticide free world isn't going to feed everyone. If you have the means and are able to buy organic only then good for you! But let others eat and buy what they can afford.

There is also an app available for the iPhone (and other smart phones, I would assume) called the "Dirty Dozen" which lists the top 12 most sprayed crops as well as this list, which they call the "Clean 15." I reference is frequently when in the midst of of the organic-or-not dilemma at the grocery store.

@clearlybored: Conventional doesn't actually feed everyone either though. In fact, I'm not sure that much or any of the $11 billion tax dollars a year that we spend as a country that go towards agricultural subsidies are actually going towards food for those 6.5 billion hungry people. (Quick infographic on this one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/white-house-garden-subsidized-crops_n_869616.html)

So yes, not everyone may be able to afford organic or local, but everyone is able to eat more seasonally (which is also generally less expensive) and eat organic/local when they can. (Supply and demand, you know? Demand increases = supply increases = cost decreases.)

Also, everyone should be growing at least some of their own produce, especially those who can't afford it. There are so many varieties no matter where you live, and many that do well in containers. Yeah it's nice to have land to plant on, but nothing is stopping every person out there from having a window-box, or patio planter, or a few SIPs made out of 2 liter bottles or Home Depot buckets or Ikea bags. And okay, so you might have to give up a half hour of reality TV a few times a week to tend to it, but trust me, you're better for it, in more ways than one.

Veronicainla, I'm part of "everyone" - I hope - and I like container gardening as much as anybody and more than some - but aside from one edible-flower shrub (that hasn't even flowered in its current location) and an edible fern that died - I have not been able to find much that works for a balcony with a roof over it *and* a shady exposure. All the typical strawberries/tomatoes solutions simply do not fruit. And lettuce/cabbages bolt in the heat, because it is quite hot here in summer.

So, uh, a window box would work fine for me if I had the right wall of the building, but I don't. I can't afford auxilary lighting for them. Electricity is through the roof here.

That's not even counting the people who literally cannot afford the supplies.

And I don't have a TV.

I disagree with corn being on the list, since inorganic corn has more than a pesticide problem--most non-organic corn is now from genetically modified seed, and it will be years before we know that full story on how that impacts our DNA and the DNA of creatures who ingest any part of a genetically modified plant.

judithwq - we don't have to wait years, there are plenty of studies that show GMO foods are bad for us.

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/Alfalfa_WORC_Factsheet.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/roundup-birth-defects-herbicide-regulators_n_872862.html

JosieDaisy,

I agree with Veronicainla's sentiment that to see more people growing their own produce would be a positive move on many levels but I share your challenges when it comes to actually growing your own food at home. I simply do not have enough direct daylight in my apartment to grow vegetables and herbs let alone access to an outdoor space.

My solution is to grow my own mushrooms as they don't require sunlight (many options online but I buy a box of inoculated soil each year from a mushroom farmer at my local farmers market). You can also look into the possibility of borrowing (or renting) a little patch in a local community garden or from a neighbor if you are keen.

http://acga.localharvest.org/ is a good resource to help you find community gardens in your area.

b77--What you may not realize is that these lists are helpful to those of us who simply cannot afford to buy much organic food. I've been concerned about eating organic since I left for college, 17 years ago. It's not new information for me, but that doesn't mean that a list of low-pesticide foods isn't useful to me. I, like many others, am well-aware of the dangers of pesticides, but organic food is very, very expensive (especially in Quebec where I live).

I volunteer at an organic community garden, buy in bulk when possible, and grow some of our food on the balcony. I do what I can. But as a person with minimal financial means, I really appreciate a list of lower-pesticide foods I can buy to feed my children.

Just because it's organic doesn't mean they don't use pesticides. It could mean they use organic pesticides, which is sometimes even more carcinogenic than conventional pesticides. We need to be aware of names of pesticides whether they're organic or conventional pesticides. Some organic pesticides are safe, but not always. However, I agree that organic is the way to go if you can afford it, and if you can't then just being aware of the dirty dozen + and the ones that are ok to buy in a conventional store.